It seems like the zoning courts in Dallas are very focused on the current state of a neighborhood, which will always disfavor a redeveloping property seeking a permit. In both cases, people bought property next to undesirable neighbors (a bar and the projects) and then were able to successfully evict the unwanted neighbors once redevelopment plans were proposed.
One guy wrote, “If you don’t want to live next to a bar, then don’t move in next to a bar.” That seems logical, but that is not how Dallas operates. The comments on both the Bill’s Hideaway and Cedar Springs Place stories are fascinating.
Bill’s Hideaway closed due to financial reasons, and the new townhome residents were able to block the Hershner family’s plan to reopen the venue a few years later. The Dallas Voice describes the venue as a small piano bar tucked in the shadow of new townhomes. In addition to the three existing bars (Pegasus, Zippers, and BJ’s) there was once a fourth bar called Bill’s Hideaway. This fight reminds me of a similar situation on the other side of Oak Lawn in what we call the “ Ratchet Triangle” – a collection of three gay bars on Avondale Avenue. The downtown Dallas skyline behind the former site of the Cedar Springs Place housing project.
